Tarun dropped this bomb on me when I asked him whether I-90 runs between Boston and San Francisco: Between Boston and Seattle, he said, because it is the highest numbered interstate and hugs the northern border. My friends who have grown up in the US will think of me as a dunce because I reacted with: Howwww did you know that?!
He shrugged and declared highways are numbered in sequential order from south to north.
I. Was. Dumbfounded.
How does he know this and I don’t?! How does he know it and didn’t tell me! Such a hoarder of information. Sheesh!
I know that even numbered interstates run west to east and odd ones are south to north. I also know that three digit interstates are loops or spurs.
Tarun’s insight got me looking into the interstate system.
The odd interstates increase in number going west to east. On the western end, I-5 runs from the San Ysidro crossing with Mexico to Blaine in Washington state and on the east I-95 goes from Miami to the Canadian border.
The even ones increase as you go north. I-10 runs from Santa Monica in California to Jacksonville in Florida, hugging the Mexican border. The northernmost one is I-90 as Tarun said.
US highways, such as Route 64 and US 1 follow the exact opposite numbering scheme than the interstates. The odd ones increase going west and the even ones increase going south.
I-50 and I-60 do not exist because they would pass through states that already have US-50 and US-60.
Not all interstates run the entire length or breadth of the country. In general, if an interstate is divisible by 5, it is a major artery.
Mileposts on interstates begin on the southern or western state lines.
I-19 in Arizona uses kilometers instead of miles because the US briefly considered a switch to the metric system when this interstate was built in the 1970s.
The interstate system was born in the 1920s and took off under President Eisenhower in 1956. Construction of the major arteries in urban areas displaced one million people and led to the Highway Revolts across the country. State and federal governments pushed on despite the opposition and in the interest of defense. The interstates were meant to connect ports and move military equipment around.
In 2020, the interstate system collectively covered over 48,000 miles. Eisenhower’s interstate construction cost is the equivalent of 618B in 2023 dollars.
The economic benefit to the south (think Walmart in Arkansas) and growth of suburbs are directly linked to this system of highways. As we drive up and down the coasts and occasionally meander into the center of the country, we are thankful for the consistency of the interstates: the signage, the mileposts, the medians and the service areas.
In our politically charged times, displacing people, forcing the will of the government and spending close to a trillion dollars would paralyze the nation. Instead, we hope that the current and future generations of politicians can see past their petty bickering and continue to repair this amazing grid that keeps us and the economy chugging.
This episode got me thinking about what else Tarun knows that he’s not telling me. Rest assured, the sleuth in me will work on that. For sure.
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